Top Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online

Johann Sebastian Bach

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:43:20 -0800

J.S. Bach may be the most important figure in Western music, with an influence that can be felt in popular and classical music to this day. Largely unnoticed in his time, Bach was in many ways the climax of Baroque polyphonic music, tying together the major styles of his day in a uniquely personal fashion. From his chamber works to his instrumental pieces, Bach ingeniously wove together melodic, aria-based Italian music, refined French dance music, complex contrapuntal German music, and mathematical intricacies into pieces that were greater than the summation of their parts. Inside of the elaborate inter-connected voices of the Well-Tempered Clavier's Fugues and the rich polyphonic textures of the Brandenburg Concertos are proof that the reason that we hear and enjoy music the way we do is based on the sounds, theories and procedures that were solidified in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. - Jessy Terry

Andrea Bocelli

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:23:45 -0800

Andrew Bocelli (born 1958) sings light pop renditions of romantic Italian opera favorites to often-synthesized accompaniments for a beloved worldwide audience. With Pavarotti's stamp of approval, he took the world by storm in the mid-1990s by singing "Con te partiro" with Sarah Brightman. He became famous in the U.S. for his recording work with Celine Dion. Bocelli's populist character has led him since that time to sell 55 million records and to appear on late-night television, American Idol, the NBA All-Stars, Sesame Street and at the White House, among other places. His Spanish-, Italian- and English-language renditions of dramatic love songs have proven to be especially popular hits at weddings. - Daphne Carr

Yo-Yo Ma

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:41:17 -0800

The prolific and prodigiously talented cellist Yo-Yo Ma is as at home with Brahms and Bach as he is with Astor Piazzolla or Antonio Carlos Jobim. Like many virtuosos, Ma took up the cello early: his father started him at age four. Decades and several degrees later (he was a star pupil at Juilliard and later graduated from Harvard), Ma is the face of classical music around the world. Everyone knows the ubiquitous cello player with the improbable, happy-go-lucky name. He has taken the cello from its classical confines and forced it into places it's never been before. Cello in bluegrass? Middle Eastern music? Tango? Bossa nova? No style is too "out there" for Ma, and as a result he's become a musical ambassador, finding commonalities between disparate musical traditions and introducing an uncurious world to the world's many musical curiosities. This is perhaps what led him to found the Silk Road Ensemble in 1998, an East-meets-West cross-cultural music collective. Cultural heritage has increasingly become his interest, as evidenced by his recent solo and Ensemble recordings: Appalachian Journey, 2002's Silk Road Journeys and 2003's Obrigado Brasil. - Sarah Bardeen

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:49 -0800

Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been celebrated as the quintessential Western musical genius, the embodiment of divine creativity whose life story took on the air of romantic tragedy almost immediately upon his death in 1791.

Mozart's numerous works span many genres, but he is best known for his operas. Among the seven children born to the Mozart family, only Wolfgang and his older sister Maria Anna (called Nannerl) survived. Their father, Leopold, a deputy Kapellmeister and violinist, encouraged both children to play and compose, and encouraged Wolfgang's unnatural talent, which saw him composing short pieces by age five and unremarkable but complete symphonies at age nine. Leopold's entrepreneurial exploits of the Mozart children gained them fame -- but at a price. Their many tours to European cities introduced the young Mozart to new composers and patrons, but caused him the reputation as the eternal child who went around Europe performing like a beggar. Three trips to Italy, from 1770 to 1773, were meant to familiarize Mozart with the country's composition style, and resulted in the operas Mitridate and Lucio Silla. Mozart stayed in Salzburg, Austria, from 1774 to 1777, working productively but unhappily as a Konzertmeister for Archbishop Colloredo. When Mozart asked for a dismissal from service, Colloredo responded by firing both father and son. While Leopold eventually returned to service, Mozart traveled to various cities in search of a job. In Augsburg, Germany, Mozart met his cousin Maria Anna Thekla, with whom he began a notoriously salacious correspondence. Shortly after, he met Aloysia Weber in Mannheim, Germany.

Unlike previous trips, Mozart journeyed to Paris only with his mother, and there with him she died. This caused Leopold to further turn against his increasingly independently-minded son. Still, Mozart returned home and again secured a position with Colloredo. In 1780, he traveled to Munich to compose his first great opera, Idomeneo, and was again flushed with success. When Colloredo called Mozart from Munich to Vienna, to celebrate the coronation of Joseph II, Mozart found himself placed among butlers and cooks, and asked to again be let from service. Mozart was fired, with, literally, a kick in the behind. In Vienna, he taught pupils, performed and composed for patrons, and staged concerts. It was not until 1787 that he secured a permanent salary writing music for balls.

In 1782, Mozart married Constanze, the younger sister of Aloysia. The couple would have six children together, although only two survived through childhood. It was also at this time that Mozart wrote most fruitfully, beginning with the successful 1782 singspiel (a form in which all dialog is spoken instead of sung) The Abduction from the Seraglio. Between 1782 and 1786, he wrote 15 piano concerti, exhibiting his full range of orchestral writing and a passion for the piano-forte, an instrument still being perfected in the late 18th century. Mozart's work in comic opera began with the librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, who wrote the controversial The Marriage of Figaro (1786), which was based on a banned play, in addition to Don Giovanni (1787) and Cosi Fan Tutte (1790).

In the final year of his life, Mozart premiered The Magic Flute and La Clemenza di Tito and was in the process of working on his Requiem, which was composed in secret for Count Walsegg-Stuppach to honor the count's recently deceased wife. Some historians suggest that the count had intended to claim authorship of the work, while myth suggests that the "anonymous" commission was a harbinger of death. After taking to bed in November 1791, Mozart died on December 5 of that year. His body was buried in a mass grave as part of the spirit of the times, not, as is popularly suggested, because of his financial or social status.

Josh Groban

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:42:33 -0800

Already an international star, the young Josh Groban brings operatic passion and classical themes to the masses. Doe-eyed, with curling ringlets, Groban is cute and cuddly compared to the swarthy Andrea Bocelli, yet he definitely possesses a true vocal gift to back up his clean-cut marketing appeal. Along with Bocelli, Charlotte Church (and the much artsier Audra McDonald and Mandy Patinkin), Groban is helping to reintroduce operatic, pre-pop singing to the public by adding modern arrangements and instrumentation. Whether Groban sings a cappella, or backed by a traditional orchestra, he always delivers. - Nick Dedina

Ludwig van Beethoven

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:29 -0800

From the poise of "The Moonlight Sonata," to the bombastic euphoria of "Ode To Joy," to the intricate architecture of the late string quartets, few forces in Western music so keenly translated the drama of human experience into sound as well as German-born Ludwig Van Beethoven. Fine praise for the most widely recognized member of the "Three B's" (with Bach and Brahms), but the notoriously disheveled, cantankerous genius would likely repay such a compliment by tossing an inkwell at your head -- if he heard it at all.

Born in December 1770, Beethoven's body of work is divided into three eras: the early period, where he emulated great predecessors Haydn and Mozart, the middle period, where his encroaching hearing loss led to large-scale, defiantly heroic orchestral works including the famous "dun-dun-dun-dah!" Fifth Symphony, and the late period, which yielded works of immense intellectual depth from a composer who existed in a world of near-total silence. Beethoven ushered out the Classical period with the back of his hand and fathered the Romantic era. By his death in 1827, he had left an indelible mark on the history of Western music. - Nate Cavalieri

City of Prague Philharmonic

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:48:49 -0800

City of Prague Philharmonic is a sort of European Boston Pops but with less brass and more strings. Their polished, crisp renditions of TV and film soundtracks and other things popular are the perfect accompaniment to a long Epsom salt soak. - Henry B.

Frederic Chopin

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:49 -0800

In the early 1830s Parisian salons were abuzz with the name Fredric Chopin (1810-1849), the delicately attractive, gently mannered, frightfully reclusive pianist, teacher, and composer who recently fled political repression in his Polish homeland. It wasn't just that Chopin was highly praised by Liszt and Schumann; his performances -- often enraptured improvisations that were spectacular for both their sensitivity and power -- were delicately genius and wholly unconcerned with the showboating pianism that was so popular in Paris. A celebrated recitalist in his early 20s, Chopin composed while playing, and had difficulty capturing ideas on paper. Much of his work can be sorted by its professional function: his four concert-giving years (1828-32) produced virtuosic pieces and music for piano and orchestra, where his pedagogy yielded volumes of moderately difficult studies, waltzes, preludes, and mazurkas. After the demise of an alleged affair with novelist George Sand, Chopin's emotional and physical problems hastened his death. Then and now, Fredric Chopin is cherished for his towering originality and resourcefulness in exploiting the expressive possibilities of the piano. - Nate Cavalieri

Sarah Brightman

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:12 -0800

Andrew Lloyd Webber penned smash musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera in order to spotlight the talents of his (now ex) wife Sarah Brightman, who went on to record a series of very successful vocal albums. Brightman dresses like a Goth rocker and she puts a dark spin on lush material that usually falls somewhere between Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion. - Nick Dedina

Antonio Vivaldi

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:41 -0800

Antonio Vivaldi not only revolutionized the concerto form; by sidelining as a concert master, opera impresario, and ordained priest, he's the quintessential 18th century Renaissance man.

Born in Venice on March 4, 1678, Vivaldi was ordained at 25 and nicknamed "The Red Priest" for his shock of red hair. He disliked giving Mass -- blaming a medical condition now thought to be asthma -- and took an appointment teaching violin at a Venetian girls' orphanage. Including the ubiquitous "The Four Seasons," Vivaldi's concertos -- marked by vigorous energy and thematic uniformity -- earned him wide renown and remain his greatest legacy. Starting with a 1717 position on the court of the prince Phillip of Hesse-Darmstadt, Vivaldi had unrivaled popularity among European royals, yielding numerous commissions (including Louis XV's wedding cantata "Gloria e Imeneo") and a knighting from Emperor Charles VI. By the 1730s, Vivaldi's popularity faded, leaving him in financial ruin at his death in July of 1741.

Researchers unearthed over a dozen folios of his work between 1926 and 1930, which saw a revival of interest and secured his reputation as one of his era's greatest minds. - Nate Cavalieri

Claude Debussy

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:12:32 -0800

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was the first composer to radically break with the Romantic tradition, giving rise to the explorations of sound and form that dominated the twentieth century. In sharp contrast to the Wagnerian attention to leitmotif and development, Debussy's music deals with light, color and mood. Startling dissonances alternate with Eastern-influenced pentatonic harmonies and rich chordal textures that later influenced jazz. His non-linear structures move mysteriously from one sound-image to the next, leaving the listener on his own to find an overall unity or pattern. Scholars have found in his pieces the Golden Ratio, a common pattern in nature which gives Debussy's music its natural, organic quality. Critics dubbed Debussy's style Impressionism after the mysterious, sensuous landscapes of Monet and Cezanne. Debussy believed his music captured the essence of French culture, emphasizing clarity, natural beauty and elegance over the solemnity and over-ripe developments of the Romantic composers. - Noah Enelow

Luciano Pavarotti

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 16:49:29 -0800

The Caruso of our times, Italian lyric tenor Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007) was beloved by millions of vocal music fans. He was known equally for his leading roles in 19th century Italian operas and for his album collections of popular, folk and love songs. His voice had a quintessential Italianate character and a passionate delivery. He was known as the "King of the High Cs" for his effortless range, as displayed in his favorite roles as Rodolfo in Puccini's La Boheme, Nemorino in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, and Riccardo in Verdi's Un Ballo Maschera. His greatest success was as one of the the Three Tenors, a group of noted opera singers (including Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras) who performed at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The recording of Carreras - Domingo - Pavarotti: the Three Tenors in Concert holds the record as best selling classical album. Born to a poor family in Modena, Italy, Pavarotti lived in a two room house listening to his father, a baker by trade but fine tenor as well, as well as to popular opera stars of the day. Pavarotti began his music study, unable to read music, at the age of 19. A disastrous concert early in his life almost convinced him to quit, but in 1961 he was encouraged once again by winning the Achille Peri Competition. From there, he began a 40-year professional career as an opera singer. Pavarotti died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 71 in Modena where his funeral was attended by thousands. Flags flew at half mast and signs in windows read "Adieu maestro." - Daphne Carr

Studio Group

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:44 -0800

Placido Domingo

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:25:16 -0700

Few classically trained singers have had the continued crossover success that Placido Domingo enjoys. He's reached the top of the charts with both his solo selections and his immensely popular collaborations with Pavarotti and Carreras. His strength as a performer is the classic love scene, as audiences melt to hear his powerful versions of great themes by Verdi, Wagner, and others. Outside of Opera, Domingo has enjoyed success with traditional Spanish love songs, as well as with pop music ("Perhaps Love" with John Denver and "Till I Loved You" with Jennifer Rush were huge chart toppers). In regard to Christmas music, it's just another day, another dollar for Domingo: his nearly annual holiday releases satisfy discerning listeners who are tired of Manheim Steamroller, while filling his coffers all the more. But let's not knock his talent for making money. Domingo is a true talent -- perhaps one of the greatest of the modern age. - Jessy Terry

Philip Glass

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:50:56 -0800

Although he's one of the most influential figures in twentieth century music, Philip Glass has nevertheless earned the ire of some of his fellow Avant-Gardists for both his enormous success and his coinage of minimalist theory. A Julliard-trained classical musician whose ideas were greatly transformed when he was hired to transcribe Ravi Shankar's work, Glass embraced rhythm and repetition over the standard classical rules -- rules which had previously applied even to Avant-Garde classical. He was met with massive success during the '70s and '80s, working in concert halls, theatre, opera, film and even on pop recordings. Though often accused of overt repetition, it must be noted that Glass' music has become increasingly rich over the years, while still managing to maintain a certain accessibility on a basic, emotional level. His advances have trickled down into both the popular music we hear (David Bowie, Aphex Twin) and the alternate musical avenues that post-Glass artists are free to explore. - Nick Dedina

Apocalyptica

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:50:49 -0700

If there's anything that proves Metallica has become a pop culture institution on par with Led Zeppelin and hula hoops, it's the existence of Finland's Apocalyptica. Coming together in the mid '90s, the cello quartet specialized in the Metallica songbook, including head-banging chestnuts like "Enter Sandman," "Creeping Death" and "Harvester of Sorrow." In 1996, the band released its debut album Plays Metallica by Four Cellos. By its second record, however, Apocalyptica started reworking selections from Faith No More, Sepultura and Pantera. Then something strange happened. What started out as really nothing more than a novelty act (a Trans-Siberian Orchestra for real metal heads) evolved into a bona fide experiment in neo-classical heavy metal (a move which makes sense considering both genres worship symphonic grandeur). In addition to featuring all original compositions, 2003's Reflections saw the group collaborate with Slayer drummer Dave Lambardo. Since then the band has also hosted such guests as HIM's Ville Valo, the Rasmus' Lauri Ylonen and vocalist Till Lindemann of Rammstein. Apocalyptica even employ smoke and fancy light shows when they perform live. - Justin Farrar

Laurent Korcia

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 10:42:03 -0700

Glenn Gould

Fri, 2 Oct 2009 11:02:18 -0700

It's hard to overstate the importance of Canadian pianist Glen Gould, who is most noted for performing J.S. Bach's keyboard works with unmatched technical and artistic facility, as a modern ambassador of Baroque music. Gould was born in Toronto in 1932 and studied with his mother until he was 10, when he was accepted as a student at the Royal Conservatory of Music. There he took lessons under Alberto Guerrero and Frederick C. Silvester. In 1945 he gave his first recital, and he performed Beethoven's 4th piano concerto that year with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Though his stage career was fairly short -- he gave up public performance in 1964 -- he was the first North American pianist to play in Russia after World War II and gave a number of great performances on the CBC. Between 1964 and '82, Gould made scores of recordings; he taped definitive interpretations of Bach, Beethoven and Schumann, but he is perhaps best known for performing complex contrapuntal passages of Bach with remarkable clarity. His life has been the subject of exhaustive study, as has his eccentric personality, which included an aversion to handshakes and regular trips to a diner for scrambled eggs at 2 A.M. - Nate Cavalieri

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:39 -0800

The famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir has perhaps one of the longest running histories of any American choir, and certainly one of the most accomplished. Established in 1847, the choir has performed for 10 US Presidents and at the funerals for Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy. Their weekly radio broadcast, Music and the Spoken Word, is the longest-running continuous network broadcast in the world. Their list of gold and platinum records, Grammys, medals and other international accolades runs on, but their performance speaks more loudly of their skill. Singing fully orchestrated choral arrangements of hymns, patriotic songs and other traditional classics, the Choir has a clean, 360-voice blend that's dynamic and climactic. With later additions of the "Orchestra at Temple Square," the "Temple Square Chorale," and the "Bells on Temple Square" bell choir, their presence and performance are both visually and sonically overwhelming. - Amy Bartlett

Il Divo

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:07:41 -0700

Il Divo is a preternaturally handsome five-man multinational team of operatic male pop vocalists. The idea for this outfit was born when snappy "American Idol" celebrity Simon Cowell heard a recording of Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman singing "Con Te Partiro" in 2001. Realizing he liked operatic vocal style but not the repertoire, Cowell set about to create a classically trained vocal group that would sing the types of pop songs and love ballads commonly played at weddings. To further class up these pop songs, they would be translated into Italian, Portuguese or Spanish. In December 2003, American tenor David Miller became the completing member of the ensemble, which includes Spanish baritone Carlos Marin, French pop singer Sebastien Izambard and Swiss tenor Urs Buhler. Their multiplatinum self-titled debut album was No. 1 in 13 countries. Their Christmas Collection was an America-only release and their second worldwide charting album, Ancora, was released in November 2005, featuring a duet with Celine Dion. - Daphne Carr

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:25:07 -0700

The Royal Philharmonic deftly maneuvers around a large songbook, handling with extreme ease both (quasi-) modern pop and classical. They have fun with the pop numbers, adapting their instrumentation to work in an orchestral context. - Will Lerner

George Frideric Handel

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:23:34 -0800

Even if you think of a cinematic pooch when the word Beethoven is mentioned you have probably heard Handel's Messiah -- "Hallelujah!! Hallelujah!!" -- blasting away at the local mall at Christmas time. This stunning piece illustrates Handel's mastery of the big choral numbers that were gaining in popularity with the rising eighteenth century bourgeois class. Handel was a master at composing operas, but these oratorios were easier to stage and perform and cheaper to attend for the new British middle class, who embraced Handel's music with great enthusiasm. - Nick Dedina

Erik Satie

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 10:32:38 -0700

Few composers deserve the phrase "ahead of his time" more than the French composer Erik Satie (1866-1925). Ideologically committed to a life of poverty, the composer removed his art from the unconscious confinements of class and the corruptible influences of popular acceptance. Though he did study briefly at the Conservatoire de Musique et de Declamation, Satie was primarily self-taught, a luxury that freed him to explore ideas as he found them. As a result, he broke with convention to such an extent as to become the conceptual godfather of the twentieth century's Avant-Garde movement. In an environment where Impressionism and Wagnerism ruled, Satie injected his work with dry, ironic wit and deceptively simplistic progressions. Yet underneath his seemingly casual whimsy lie crisp conceptual models explored with such discipline as to become vaguely spiritual. "Trois Gymnopedies," one of his most well-known works, depicts ancient Greek gymnastic exercises. "Vexations," made famous by a John Cage performance, consists of 152 notes and is to be played 840 times -- a process which lasts over eighteen hours. Godfather of the Avant-Garde, indeed. - Doug Russell

Charlotte Church

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 09:06:27 -0700

Charlotte Church is the youngest classical vocalist ever launched into superstardom. The thirteen-year-old's down-to-earth and fun-loving personality no doubt enhances record sales, though there's no denying that her talent could stand on its own -- even without the big label PR machinery. - Henry B.

John Williams (Guitar)

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:43:41 -0700

First things first, this is not the guy who wrote music for Star Wars. This John Williams is among the elite classical guitarists alive today, having proved his mastery countless times with many forms, from early classics by Bach and Vivaldi to contemporary works by Takemitsu. But Williams's greatest asset is his subtle interpretation of Spanish masters such as Joaquin Rodrigo and Isaac Albeniz. The Australian born Williams first learned the craft from his father, then went on to master every technical aspect of the guitar under the tutelage of pioneer Andres Segovia. Due to his studies with Segovia, Williams has become a living link to the classical guitar's founding master. Collaborations have furthered his repertoire, whether working with a large symphony orchestra, a fellow guitarist such as Julian Bream or others, including jazz pianist/conductor Andre Previn or violinist Itzak Perlman. Through the years Williams has returned to his roots, performing lush, romantic suites such as Concierto De Aranjuez. - Jessy Terry

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 11:26:30 -0800

Though Tchaikovsky's name conjures the dancing sugar plum fairies of The Nutcracker, pirouetting ballerinas of Swan Lake or strident themes of his violin concerto, it's the Russian composer's bitterly pessimistic final symphony that lends insight into the distressed emotional state which plagued him throughout his life and led to his rumored suicide.

Born in 1840, he was a prodigiously talented child performer and taught music as a young man. Due to the fervent nationalism popular with his early peers, his compositions took longer to catch on, though his First Symphony was well received in Moscow in 1868. By incorporating Ukrainian folk tunes, his Second Symphony faired better, and, bolstered by its success, he wrote a daring piano concerto. In 1875 he produced the careful Third Symphony and Swan Lake, before battling mid-life depression stemming from his sexual identity. He produced the monumental violin concerto in the late 1870s and two important ballets, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, a decade later. He died nine days after the performance of his Sixth Symphony in 1893. - Nate Cavalieri

London Symphony Orchestra

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:50:44 -0700

Formed in 1904 by a group of disgruntled members of the Queen's Hall Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra has grown to be one of the most respected and best known ensembles in the world. This is due in part to the orchestra's mind-boggling catalogue of recordings. Certainly one of the most recorded orchestras in history, the London Symphony has appeared on hundreds of discs, and has achieved enormous success as performers of motion picture soundtracks. - Doug Russell

Andre Rieu

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 10:53:10 -0800

Joshua Bell

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 12:14:33 -0800

One of today's preeminent names in violin performance, Joshua Bell is often on the road concertizing; keep an eye on the newspapers and you might catch a performance near you. Since his concert debut in Philadelphia in his early teens, his career has been one ascending graph line. Composers such as John Corigliano have written works for him, and Bell collaborates with major players of the classical world, including Aaron Jay Kernis, John Williams and Nicholas Maw. All this is to say that Bell plays the violin very, very well. - Henry B.

Sergei Rachmaninov

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:23:34 -0800

Sergei Rachmaninov's music is so lushly sensual that even the middlebrow Tom Ewell played it in a vain attempt to seduce Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch. While "Chopsticks" turned out to float Miss Monroe's beautiful boat, the rest of us can sink into the plush splendor of Rachmaninov's musical world. A disciple of Tchaikovsky, he was one of the 20th Century's few great composers who stayed true to classical ideals rather than expanding the form. His most famous works, like the exquisite "Vocalise" for example, sound far removed from the avant-garde world of Stravinsky. A brilliant pianist whose massive hands allowed for an expansive reach across the keys, many of Rachmaninov's pieces have become musical decathlons of technical prowess. This was illustrated to sweat-popping effect in the hit film Shine. - Nick Dedina

Arcangelo Corelli

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:48:49 -0800

Though the output of Archangelo Corelli might not be vast -- just six published sets and a few assorted pieces -- he was of fundamental consequence to the Baroque style for his treatment of formalism and violin pedagogy. Born in the modern-day province of Ravenna in 1666, Corelli was admitted to Rome's still-extant Accademia Filarmonica and studied composition under Matteo Simonelli, the singer of the pope's chapel, later serving as the principle violinist and chamber musician in the court of Queen Christina of Sweden. He dedicated his first major work, Opus 1: 12 sonatas da chiesa, to her, and quickly became celebrated throughout Roman musical society. His use of an orchestral echo effect in his so-called "Christmas Concerto" (Op. 6) was widely imitated and especially popular in England, where Corelli's popularity rivaled Handel's. Technically, he took liberties with the formal constraints of counterpoint with great success and blurred the lines between sacred and secular forms. His legacy and influence remained long-standing after his death in 1713, as his works continued to circulate in wide publication. - Nate Cavalieri

Giacomo Puccini

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:05 -0800

Writing music was a family tradition for the Puccini's of Lucca and little Giacomo was the fifth in a line of composers, playing organ and writing masses for local churches at 14. It was Verdi's Aida that inspired him to follow his instinct for composing opera; he entered his first one-act opera in a competition while a student at the Milan Conservatory. It failed to win, but brought interest in a second, which led to Puccini's life long association with the publishing house of Ricordi.

The third time was a charm though, and Puccini found huge international success pairing with the librettist team of Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa for the 1893 production of Manon Lescaut. With the help of Illica and Giacosa, Puccini's widely-performed masterpiece La Bohem followed in 1896, and another work of consequence, Madam Butterfly, was produced in 1904. Late in life he developed throat cancer, leaving the masterful Turandot unfinished at his death in 1924. He died a widely celebrated Italian hero and has left a number of enduring operas that weave passion, pathos, despair, and sensuality with singular savvy. - Nate Cavalieri

Edvard Grieg

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:12:33 -0800

Edvard Grieg is to Norway what Bartok is to Hungary or Dvorak to Czechoslovakia: he endeavored to introduce and implement the music endemic to his own country into the works he composed. Significantly however, it is not as a nationalist that he is mainly known, for his most popular works -- the two Peer Gynt Suites and the Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 -- are more akin to the lush and overtly romantic compositions of Tchaikovsky. In many circles where "serious" music is appreciated, Grieg has unfortunately been dismissed as dated -- a writer of classical pop and not much more. This ignores both his lesser-heard, more difficult works, not to mention the undeniable charm in his more well-known pieces: the "Adagio" movement in the aforementioned Piano Concerto, for example, begins with a lovely and moving section for the strings that possesses a stately grandeur and develops at an unhurried pace. When piano finally enters, it brings along with it a truly stirring, yet understated melody that compliments the orchestra wonderfully. A precious moment among many from an underappreciated composer. - Will Lerner

Itzhak Perlman

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:54 -0800

One of the most important and visible classical artists of the 20th century, Itzhak Perlman gives performances marked by a balance of technical prowess and artistic sensitivity. Born in Israel, he began playing the violin at a young age, performed on the Ed Sullivan show at 13 and was a student at Juilliard. He made his official debut in 1963 at Carnegie Hall and shortly thereafter performed with the New York Philharmonic, then led by Leonard Bernstein. Helped by the management of Sol Hurok, he embarked on an active schedule of international solo performances. In the 1970s he became a fixture on television, an international celebrity and a frequent performer at the White House. Over the next 30 years he performed with every major symphony and conductor in the world and recorded a series of definitive performances of violin repertoire. - Nate Cavalieri

James Galway

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:31 -0800

James Galway has been hitting the charts for decades with the kind of Celt-ified new age instrumentals that are now so in vogue in the USA. He is the Irish king of woodwinds and his straight classical recordings can be enjoyed even by those not searching for that aural shamrock to clear the soul. - Nick Dedina

Georg Philipp Telemann

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:48:50 -0800

During the first half of the Eighteenth Century, Georg Philipp Telemann was considered Germany's greatest living composer. Meanwhile, peer Johann Sebastian Bach's genius was largely ignored by the public. Today, Bach's influence cannot be overemphasized, while Telemann's music is considered but a pale shadow of his contemporary. Though Telemann's reputation for superficial overproduction is largely deserved, the composer's output should not be ignored outright. For the mind-boggling number of pieces he produced (forty operas, five complete cycles of cantatas, and much more -- his catalog is utterly exhausting), the quality of his work is consistently impressive, illustrating a masterful command of bright, sparkling melodies and rich harmonies. - Doug Russell

Yiruma

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:37:32 -0800

This young pianist was born in South Korea but grew up and trained in England from the age of five. He released his first album, Love Scene, in 2001, and over time he became renowned for his delicate, emotional solo piano compositions. Despite his strong connections to England, Yiruma gave up his British citizenship when it came time to return to South Korea for mandatory military service. He has released albums steadily since his debut. - Sarah Bardeen

Franz Liszt

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:44 -0800

Liszt redefined for the nineteenth century what was possible for the piano. He learned that if you played powerfully enough, beautiful women would literally pass out from the emotional exhaustion and hero worship. His sphere of influence went much further than his instrument. He devised the Symphonic Poem form, which is a sort of one movement work inspired by a non-musical subject, such as a famous person or a literary work.

George Gershwin

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:43:15 -0800

One of the true giants of American music, George Gershwin combined exceptional songcraft with a keen interest in both the new jazz and European experimental scenes, and in the process forever changed the way songs are written and performed. Gershwin brought sophisticated song structures to the dozens of great standards he wrote with his brother Ira -- "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "I Got Rhythm," and "Someone To Watch Over Me" are among his many classics. His depression-era political satire, "Of Thee I Sing," won the first Pulitzer Prize for a musical entry. He dazzled audiences with his longer pieces, "Rhapsody in Blue" and "An American in Paris," as well as with his tenacious piano playing. He wrote what may be the only great American opera, "Porgy and Bess." The fact that he did all this in a mad rush is all the more impressive, as the young composer died of a brain tumor in 1937. - Nick Dedina

Johannes Brahms

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:35 -0800

While his contemporary Richard Wagner symbolized the progressive dissonances of one German school, Brahms represented the link to tradition. In many ways his music was a culmination of all traditional classical music that came before him, particularly the early Romantics such as Beethoven, Schubert and Schumann -- the latter helped spark Brahms' career with his favorable words. Brahms' style may have been conservative, but the detail and beauty of his output was extraordinary -- he could take the smallest fragment of a theme and extrapolate entire sections from it. His pieces also drew on local traditions, often bringing Hungarian folk rhythms into lively piano pieces. He mastered many classical forms, from rich, texturally inventive piano pieces to pastoral symphonies and chamber music, and his compositions still stand as the most enduring of the repertoire. - Jessy Terry

Bobby McFerrin

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:49:57 -0700

The monumentally gifted Bobby McFerrin will forever be known for his 1988 hit "Don't Worry, Be Happy," which featured the multi-tracked singer accompanying himself. However, his vocal chords are as limber as a rubber band, and he doesn't need any studio wizardry to astound you. Instead of following up that on success, McFerrin started a large choir -- his Voicestra -- and concentrated on work that has generally been outside of either the pop or jazz worlds. While it is gratifying to see a public figure so interested in academic pursuits, it's somewhat baffling that McFerrin doesn't always display his most apparent talent: solo singing. The wondrously unique Circlesongs (1997) did away with intelligible language all together while still utilizing the group format. Meanwhile, the world waits for McFerrin to return as a solo performer in his own right. - Nick Dedina

Franz Schubert

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:49 -0800

None of Schubert's symphonies were performed during his lifetime (1797-1828), and in many ways he lived behind the immense presence of Beethoven for most of his life -- the two greats are even buried next to each other. But Schubert's music remains one of the most important links between the Classical and Romantic periods. His symphonies explored more progressive harmonies and orchestration than earlier composers had dared try, using brass instruments in a fashion that was later taken up by such figures as Brahms. He was also a master at writing lieders (songs) which perfectly matched emotions to music, placing novel chords at specific moments to exactly convey the mood of the text. - Jessy Terry

London Philharmonic Choir

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:57:40 -0700

Murray Perahia

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:09:07 -0700

Arthur Fiedler

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:04:40 -0700

Arthur Fiedler was a bona fide superstar of classical music, the kind of character whose death is mourned around the world -- as indeed his was. Born in 1894 to Austrian parents, Fiedler's father was a violin player with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and his mother was a gifted pianist. It was only a matter of time before the young Fiedler joined the BSO himself in 1915. Although he joined as a violinist, Fiedler was a musical polyglot -- he also played viola, percussion, organ and piano for the symphony. A few years later, he formed the acclaimed Boston Sinfonietta and began giving his first free concerts. In 1930, Fiedler was asked to lead the Boston Pops Orchestra, and the rest is history. His musical adventurousness and his commitment to free outdoor concerts brought orchestral music to more people than any other musician had. The Boston Pops became the most recorded symphony in the world under his direction, and The Guinness Book of World Records states that Fiedler conducted the largest classical music concert ever - a performance on July 4, 1976, for over 400,000 people. Fiedler was an internationally loved character, a true man of the people with a boundless enthusiasm for his work. He died in 1979. - Sarah Bardeen

John Corigliano

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 16:49:22 -0800

American composer most famous for his critically acclaimed, neo-Romantic film scores. He received "Best Original Score" Academy Award nominations for Altered States (1980) and The Red Violin (1999). - Doug Russell

Giuseppe Verdi

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:42 -0800

When nearly 30,000 people lined the streets of Milan in January of 1901 to mourn the funeral procession of Verdi, it must have had the epic quality of one of his famously grand operas. Born in 1813, he had his first success with the 1842 production of Nabucco, which demonstrates Verdi's ample gifts for matching expressive melodies with human tragedy and heroism. These were embraced as theme music for Italy's struggle for national unity, though there is little evidence of political motives within Verdi's music.

The so-called "Galley Years" of the 1840s produced nearly a dozen monumental operas, including Ernani, Macbeth, and Luisa Miller, all with strong, somber stories and vigorous vocal writing. Despite constant trouble from censors, this period ended with his three immense works from 1851 to 1853: Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, and his most intimate, La Traviata. His Aida was produced at the Cairo Opera House in 1871 to mark the opening of the Suez Canal. Because he left stage-writing for other musical pursuits, his last operas came with 1887's Othello and 1893's Falstaff, his only comedy. - Nate Cavalieri

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:39 -0800

One of the top orchestras in the world, from a city that is blessed with many. The London Philharmonic has had some of the greatest players and conductors, expertly rendering thousands of works with subtle tone colors and instrumental prowess. - Jessy Terry

Johann Pachelbel

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:37:31 -0800

Some composers of the Baroque era still captivate our ears and minds, J.S. Bach and Handel being the most representative. Others, who may have been extremely important figures in their time, are either quite remote from modern audiences or are remembered by only one or two pieces. Pachelbel, like Albinoni, falls into the latter category. Who does not know his Canon and Gigue in D Major, perhaps one of the most popular classical pieces of all time (or at least of modern time; it gained it's current standing during the early 1970s)? With this piece, the composer created something so clear and succinct that one has to struggle to extricate it from one's mind. There is a strict bass part which descends with the utmost musical logic, over which a series of variations is played based on a simple and instantly memorable melody. Although Pachelbel of course composed other music -- music which can occasionally be found on recordings and Baroque samplers -- it is the Canon which has immortalized him. - Will Lerner

Richard Wagner

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 11:26:31 -0800

Richard Wagner's idea for "Gesamtkunstwerk" (literally "total artwork") demonstrates the scale on which the German composer operated: with 18-hour operatic cycles, orchestras that were more powerful than any ever assembled, and librettos examining the tragedy and heroism of existence, his legacy is utterly titanic. Born in 1813, Wagner was introduced to the theater by his stepfather and, after brief musical training, began composing operas. Dissonant chromaticism and expansive orchestral technique resulted in mid-career triumphs including 1845's Tannhauser and 1848's Lohengrin. After finding a benefactor in King Ludwig II, Wagner wrote his masterwork, Der Ring des Nibelungen (known commonly as "The Ring Cycle"). A set of operas based loosely on Norse mythology, the Ring birthed the stereotypical marriage of Viking helmets and stout sopranos, included the "Flight of the Valkyries," and was appropriated by Nazi ideologues for its heroic depiction of the German nation. After finishing Parsifal, Wagner died of a heart attack on February 13, 1883. While striving for Gesamtkunstwerk, Wagner made profound achievements in his creative expression. - Nate Cavalieri